Strawberry coconut ice cream recipe

I promised myself that I wouldn't buy another kitchen gadget. I'm good about keeping my promises to others, but apparently not those to myself. I've been eyeing an ice cream machine for a while now, but after weeks of fresh strawberries at the market and reading recipe after recipe for strawberry ice cream, it became more of a serious thought. One morning I was checking out the household items on Craigslist (note: not a good thing to do when you're trying to avoid buying things), and noticed that someone was selling a virtually brand new ice cream machine (the same one that I had my eye on). In a moment of weakness, I emailed her and ended up picking it up that afternoon. I'm fairly sure that when I move I'll have to get a separate U-Haul just for everything in my kitchen.

Strawberry coconut ice cream (adapted from Elana's Pantry)

10 oz frozen strawberries

1 cup coconut milk

2/3 cup whole milk (or more coconut milk)

2 Tbsp honey (or agave nectar)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Throw everything into a heavy-duty blender and blend away. Pour into your ice cream machine and freeze according to directions (mine takes about 30 min). For firmer consistency, pour into a container and freeze for a couple of hours. Makes 1 quart.

So I've already made 2 batches of this in the last week. I think that I subconsciously "forgot" to take a picture of the first batch because I wanted to make more. I also made a mistake with the first batch and had to correct it the next time. If you have a machine that requires you to freeze the container first, make sure it is COMPLETELY frozen. Mine wasn't, despite being in the freezer for several days, and the ice cream didn't get as firm as I would have liked it, but then froze into a solid chunk after it was in the freezer for a while. It didn't stop me from shaving off chunks of the best tasting ice cream block I had ever tasted. Apparently there's only one temperature control for my whole refrigerator/freezer unit, and when it's set at a temp that's cold enough to freeze my ice cream machine, things in the fridge get icy. It's worth adjusting it just to make ice cream, though.

Anyway, about the ice cream... it's amazing! It's lighter than most, which I like because it allows the real strawberry taste to shine through. I used strawberries from my CSA share, and I definitely didn't want to hide their deliciousness. I'm going to have to do something to control my ice cream intake before the blueberries and peaches start arriving...